Cambridge Advanced Speaking Part 1, 2, 3 and 4

This webpage - https://www.caeexamtips.com/speaking#speaking3 – has a lot of very

useful tips, things to do consider etc.
Some general tips
In the speaking exam the examiners are not really interested in what you say. There are no RIGHT
or WRONG answers. If you give justifications for your answer then your answer is as good as
anyone else’s. What is important is:

1. How you give your answers – how you speak.

2. The grammar you use.
3. The vocabulary that you use – is it appropriate for the topic being discussed.
4. Idioms and expressions – used appropriately.
5. Is what you are saying understandable – accent is not important. You do not need an
English accent or an American accent to pass the exam or get the highest mark.
6. Have you done what is required in each part of the exam e.g. Part 2 compare and
contrast and answer the question, Part 3 have you interacted with your partner
appropriately.

PART 1 – Introduction/General Questions

The examiner will ask a couple of questions to each student and the student will directly
answer the question to the examiner. This part will last about 2 minutes.

Questions to help practice with.

Sport and leisure

How often do you get around to working out?
What are the pros and cons of doing physical activity?
Have you ever had an amazing sporting experience?
Are there any times that you would rather relax to unwind from the stress of your routine rather
than be active?
What has been your greatest sporting achievement?

Success and failure

What would you consider to be your greatest achievement?
What is success? Define it.
Is money an essential part of success nowadays?
Can massive failures ever contribute towards a person ́s success?
Have you ever failed miserably at something?

Communication
How has the internet changed the way we communicate?
What negative effects has the internet had on our social lives?
Are you keen on talking on the phone? Why (not)?
When was the last time you sent a personal letter?
Which forms of communication will become obsolete?

Health
How important is our diet in living a healthy life?
Would you ever consider having cosmetic surgery?
Do you visit the doctor as often as you should?
Are people aware of the dangers of cigarettes and alcohol?
What is the best way of preventing or dealing with drug addiction?

Crime
Do you know anyone who has been a victim of crime?
Should any illegal substances such as cocaine be legalized?
What is the most serious crime one can commit?
What can we do to ensure that youngsters don ́t get involved in criminal behaviour?
What is the most common crime in your region?

People and their lives

What are the benefits of having a fixed routine?
Are you a fan of taking up new activities?
Would you say you are more of an early riser or a night-owl?
When was the last time you made drastic changes to your daily routine?
What is your opinion on flexi-time at work?

The environment
Would you say that young people concern themselves with environmental issues?
Are there any types of natural disaster that occur in your country?
What can be done to prevent global warming?
Are national governments doing enough to stop the effects of climate change?
Do you think it should be obligatory to recycle, punishable with a fine?

Time
What measures do you put in place to make sure you use your time effectively?
Do you ever procrastinate? Why (not)?
Name a situation in which you need to kill time
Do you enjoy hanging out with your family?
What types of activities do you need to take your time over?

Shopping and buying things

What ́s your view of online shopping?
Do you think shopping on the internet will ever overtake the conventional way of shopping?
What possible drawbacks could shopping online have?
Do you reckon that people spend money on things that they do not need nowadays?
When was the last time you spent an arm and a leg?
Work and our careers
Is it a good idea to stay in the same job your whole life or to try different things?
Have you ever experienced great success at work?
Would you ever consider changing career paths?
Have you ever been fired from your job? Why?
Have you ever been unemployed for a long period of time? How did/would you feel?

Education and our development

Is it essential to get a degree in today ́s society?
Which types of degrees are better, vocational or academic?
Would you dare say that you are a good student?
What can students learn from failing exams?
How could the education system be improved in your country?

Travel and tourism

Are you keen on travelling alone or with others?
What are the possible difficulties faced when travelling abroad?
Is travelling to a different country the best way to learn a language?
Have you ever had a nightmare trip? Why?
Due to the improvement of living standards, has travelling become easier in recent times?

Technology
Would you say that technology has improved our lives?
What are the possible risks of using the internet?
What can be done about addiction to technology?
What are the advantages and disadvantages to owning a mobile phone?
In which ways can technology impede our progress at school/university/work?

Friends, family and relationships

Have new technologies made us more or less sociable?
Would you say you value the opinion of your friends or family more?
Do you get on with all the members of your family?
Do you need to cut down on the amount of time you spend with anyone you know?
How can your family help you cut out behaviour that can be detrimental to your progress?

PART 2 – Comparing photos

Each student will be given three photos and will have to choose two photos and compare
and contrast the photos chosen and answer two questions.
Each student will be expected to talk for about 1 minute about the photos. After one
student has spoken about his/her photo the other student will then have to answer a
question based around these photos (30 seconds).
Some expressions below to use when talking about both photos, comparing photos etc.

Talking about similarities –

Similarly both photos show….
What both photos show/ have in common is that….

Contrasting ideas –
On the other hand
Having said that
Nevertheless
Whilst
Whereas
Although
However
One significant difference

Language used for speculation –

I would imagine that most people….
I doubt whether most tourists actually …
I am really certain…
I couldn’t say if they are…
In all likelihood, I would be surprised if the ….
There is no doubt that…
I think I can say with confidence …
It is doubtful….
I am convinced that….

PART 3 Interaction

There are two section in this part.

The first section(two minutes) two/three students will need to discuss a central topic
based around five or six items that need to be discussed in relation to the central topic.

In this part of the exam it is important for students to be considerate. It may be that you
are doing this exam with someone you do not know. Make sure the time is shared equally.
When giving your opinions talk for 15/20 seconds before asking the other student his/her
opinion. You will be penalised if you talk incessantly.

It is not necessary to speak about the all the possible responses. It may be that you speak
about two or three possible answers. The examiners are looking for interaction between
the candidates and how this is accomplished.
See example below.
In the second section (one minute) it will be necessary for the two students to choose a
superlative from the possible answers, for example the best, the fastest, the worst, the
most effective. For example in the question above - “What would you consider to be the
most effective form of communication?”

As you have only a minute you need to be careful with the time. As always speak until the
examiner says “thank you”.

The best plan is to speak first about the options that you think WOULD NOT be the
“fastest”, “most effective” and give your reasons why you think so, before choosing what
you think WOULD be the “fastest”, “most effective”. In other words you work from the
bottom up.
If however, you both agree in the beginning that option X is the most effective option,
then the conversation essentially stops with 40/50 seconds to go. Be careful.

Here are some useful expression to use for this part of the exam:

Beginning or Starting the conversation.

What shall we do first?

Shall I start?
Do you mind if I start?
We could start by talking about...
Let's talk about .. first.
Shall we start with this picture?

Giving Opinion

As far as I'm concerned,

I am of the opinion that …
I can’t help thinking that …
I know this is might be a minority view, but / I’m in the minority in thinking that …
I tend towards the opinion that …
I think it’s fair/reasonable to say …
I’ll tell you what I think,
I’m entirely/quite convinced that …
I’ve come up with the conclusion that …
In my limited experience,
It could/might well be that …
Do you know what I think? …
My view/position on this (issue) (is clear and) is that …
Off the top of my head,
Quite frankly,
There is a part of me that says …
This may well be controversial, but …
To my mind / To my way of thinking, ...
To summarise my views on the matter, …
What I always say is …
With some reservations, …
Without a shadow of doubt, …
You’d have to be crazy not to agree that

Asking for an opinion or reaction

Would you agree if I said

What are your views on...
What do you think of....
What do you think about...
Would you go along with that?
What do you think about the idea of ...
What's your opinion...
What about...
Why don't we...?
How about...
What are you feelings about...

Giving yourself time to think

That's a big question!

I haven't given it much thought until now.
Let me see
How can I put this?
Well, it's difficult to say really.
That's an interesting question.
It depends what you mean, exactly.
Can I think about that for a moment?
Starting Opinion
What shall we do first? As far as I’m concerned,
Shall I start? As I see it,
Do you mind if I start? From my point of view,
We could start by talking about... In my humble opinion,
Let's talk about .. first. I’d say that…
Shall we start with this picture
Giving yourself time Rephrasing
That's a big question! What I mean is...
I haven't given it much thought until now. What I'm trying to say is...
Let me see In other words
How can I put this? To put it another way
Well, it's difficult to say really. Basically what you are saying is...
That's an interesting question.
Agreeing Disagreeing
We see eye to eye. We don’t see eye to eye.
Yeah, I’d go along with that. I take your point but…
Absolutely! I tend to disagree with you there.
You took the words right out of my mouth. That’s not always the case
I couldn’t agree more. I beg to differ
You have a point there. Isn’t it more a case of…
I’m with you 100% on this one.
Starting to make a conclusion Asking for opinion
Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. What’s your take on….?
The bottom line is we have to choose one… Where do you stand on….?
It’s a tough one, I’m torn between … and …. In my opinion…., would you go along with
Shall we go with ….? that?
What are your thoughts on this?
Personalising Impressive structures
Speaking from personal experience,… Another point I’d like to add about … is…
For me personally,.. It’s also worth bearing in mind that…
This is a topic that is particularly close to my Coming back to what (Javi) was saying about
heart… …. I’d also like to point out that…
It’s funny I was just thinking about this the I think it’s important not to forget that…
other day. The vast majority of people tend to think
 My gut/initial reaction is… that…
If I were to choose one of these situations At the end of the day…
(part 2 pictures), I’d go with… because… When all’s said and done…

Tips Asking for repetition

Eye-contact I beg your pardon, I didn’t catch that.
Active listening Sorry would you mind repeating that?
Open body language Could you repeat the question please?
Speak up
Don’t dominate

PART 4
This part of the exam will last three/four minutes. The examiner will ask questions to the
students based around the topic from Part 3. These questions will be quite philosophical.
Some questions will be needed to answer directly to the examiner, other questions will
need to be discussed between the students.
A lot of the advice from part 3 will be relevant here.

These questions below might be asked if the topic in part 3 is related to work.

Exam Assessment
The following points are how the examiners assess each student.